Taichung MRT – In order to keep pace with Taichung City’s rapid growth, the central government’s Ministry of Transporation and Communications has prioritized plans to develop a Taichung mass rapid transit (MRT) system, known as the Taichung Metro. Current plans for the eventual construction of at least three lines, as noted below, with ground being broken in October, 2009 on the Green Line, scheduled for completion by 2015.

Taichung’s MRT plan, one of the most ambitious in Taiwan, consists of three main lines:

-Green Line (Wuri-Beitun): Already under construction by the Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems, this 16.7-kilometer line has 18 stations and starts from SongZhu Road in Taichung’s northeastern Beitun District, following WenXin and WenXin South roads for most of its length to end along the city’s southwestern edge, at Taichung’s High-Speed Railroad Station in Wuri, on the border with Changhua county.

-Blue Line (Tunghai University-Dongping): Projected to be Taichung Metro’s second completed route, this 15-kilometer line will run diagonally across the city. The line will start in Taiping city, continues to the Taichung Rail Station, and head northeast in a straight line, following ZhongZheng and TaichungGang (Taichung Port) roads before ending at Tunghai University.

-Red Line (Fongyuan-Wuri): This 21.2-kilometer line will start in northern Taichung city’s Tantzu Export Processing Zone and follow Beitun and ShuangShih roads south across the city to Wufeng district.

At least four other lines (brown, purple, orange and yellow) have also been planned or proposed for future expansion of the Taichung Metro.